Article - Three Gourmet Burgers
December 22, 2005... ARMS: The winner by a hair, with a great presentation. It started with the perfect bun; good glaze on top, soft and chewy but strong enough to hold the burger. The meat was moderately lean, and medium-well done, aromatic with a whiff of what seemed to be nutmeg along with trace amounts of other sweet spices not readily identifiable. The sumptuous patty sat atop a nice bed of coarsely chopped lettuce with a creamy pink dressing, which turned out to be tastier and lighter than expected. This is a stealth gourmet burger, served with fries for only 850 yen.
12/17-25. Swiss Xmas in Nishi-Azabu.
December 22, 2005The Swiss Chalet in Nishi-Azabu will serve a Y9450 Noel Dinner during the week leading up to Christmas; the menu includes pureed celery root, cold lobster and jellied consomme with caviar; sauteed foie...
12/22-24. Hungarian Xmas at Zsolnay.
December 22, 2005This year's Hungarian Christmas menu at Zsolnay in Roppongi includes terrine of lobster and pig's knuckles, roast turkey salad with walnut dressing, goulash soup, angler filet with lemon caviar, and roast...
12/22-25. German Xmas at Zum Einhorn.
December 22, 2005Zum Einhorn in Roppongi 1-chome is offering two different German Christmas menus, priced at Y6500 and Y8500, and featuring choices like pheasant breast stuffed with spinach, sauteed foie gras with applesauce,...
12/24-25. Croatian Christmas in Kyobashi.
December 22, 2005Dobro Croatian restaurant will offer two holiday options this year, priced at Y7800 and Y9,000....
Article - Tokia Marunouchi
December 22, 2005The Tokyo Building, which opened on November 11, brings another influx of new restaurants to the once-barren Marunouchi area. Located across the street from Tokyo International Forum and just a few minutes south of JR Tokyo station, the Tou-Biru's "Tokia" complex offers a choice of more than twenty places to eat, plus a brand-new jazz club (called The Cotton Club)....
Review - Leroux: Yoyogi-Koen
December 22, 2005Leroux is a neighborhood budget French place with a creative kitchen and a strong emphasis on vegetables and fresh herbs. If you're the kind of person who likes to know where his carrots come from, you'll appreciate Leroux's website, which features beauty shots of this season's vegetables along with the farms they grew up on. But while this is one of the few French places in town with an all-vegetable prix-fixe dinner (Y3500 for seven courses), carnivores and seafood fans will find plenty to satisfy them....
Review - Galali: Sendagaya
December 22, 2005Lots of pubs and restaurants serve shochu these days, but Galali specializes in the variety made from sugarcane (kokuto shochu) which may remind you of good rum. The food menu is well matched to the drink - strong assertive flavors, with lots of gourmet miso in all its colors and variations. In fact shochu and miso are also an important interior design element here - decorative shochu bottles line an recessed shelf running the length of the upstairs dining area, while big miso pots decorate the downstairs level....
Review - Pedi Shiodome
December 22, 2005Although the Pedi Shiodome restaurant complex shares an address with the luxurious new Conrad Hotel, it offers a number of good, budget-conscious restaurants, helping to fill out the moderately priced end of the dining scene in this emerging neighborhood....
New - Carmine Pasteria
December 22, 2005An inexpensive pasta counter joint from one of Tokyo's more famous Italian chefs....
New - Cheers: Yokohama station
December 22, 2005A quiet, out-of-the-way little bar with a good selection of Belgian and other beers....
New - Cina: Cafe
December 22, 2005This small Hong Kong-style cafe serves pastries, chicken and drinks, to eat in or take out....
New - Bistrot des Arts: Ebisu
December 22, 2005A late-night bistro with interesting art on the walls (all of it for sale) and a simple but very competent food menu....
New - Osakaya: Shinjuku station
December 22, 2005This conveniently located specialty shop carries 100 different Belgian beers, as well as a handful of good Japanese microbrews....
New - Roy's: Roppongi
December 22, 2005This Honolulu-based restaurant, one of Tokyo's original Pac-Rim pioneers, has moved to Roppongi Hills after 10 years in Gaienmae....
Brews News #64
December 22, 2005Reviews of Cock 'o the Walk (Roppongi), Shonan beers, Montana microbrews, in the December/January issue of our Japan beer newsletter.